LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska gave the UF women's basketball team a reality check Saturday.
The Cornhuskers (3-0) dominated nearly every aspect of the game, and the Gators suffered a 90-63 defeat that UF coach Amanda Butler called Bembarrassing.C
The Gators (2-1) trailed the entire game.
BYou walk that fine line between not wanting to beat them up too much, yet making sure they understand the gravity of this moment,C she said. BThey?re hurt by how embarrassing that loss was. They know it was nowhere near their best performance.C
Nebraska used UF?s strategy against itself, and it worked nearly to perfection.
The Cornhuskers pressured the Gators the entire length of the court and looked to push the ball as soon as they gathered a defensive rebound. They forced 33 UF turnovers and converted them into 38 points.
After the Gators struggled to break the press against Robert Morris on Nov. 12, Butler saw the flaw and tried to correct it in practice last week. The Cornhuskers showed the Gators they still need some work.
BWe didn?t do a good job of getting them prepared for the level of pressure that Nebraska was going to bring,C Butler said.
Perhaps most troubling for the Gators was how seemingly easy they lost composure.
The team became visibly frustrated and made poor decisions on the floor.
Senior guard Depree Bowden compared Saturday night?s game to a Southeastern Conference matchup.
BThey?re gonna be all up in your face,C Bowden said. BWe just gotta stay composed.C
The Gators also weren?t thrilled with the officiating, as each questionable call seemed to go against them.
BWhenever you go on the road, you don?t expect to get calls,C Butler said. BAnd they didn?t go our way tonight. But we?re not looking for excuses, we?re looking for ways to get better. …They called it the way they saw it. We certainly played a lot worse than they officiated.C
BWe did not resemble the team that beat Xavier and beat Robert Morris.C
